Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/240

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. i. MA*. 19, 1010.

physician to St. Thomas's, in 1783, the date of the reading of the first paper. It was in the nature of a club as regards its meetings, for the members met once a month at Slaughter's Coffee -House, and after dinner read and discussed the papers. The Society originally consisted of nine members, with power to increase up to twelve, but not beyond ; and only eighteen, whose names are given in the minute book, joined during the thirty years of its existence. Medical men to be eligible were required to be living in the neighbourhood, so as to attend regularly, and they were also required to be physicians or surgeons of five years' standing, or to be on the staff of St. Bartholomew's, St. George's, Guy's, or St. Thomas's.

See further * John Hunter, Man of Science and Surgeon,' by Stephen Paget, 1897, pp. 187-9, where it is pointed out that the Lyceum Medicum Londinense was a very different society, having a large member- ship, mostly of men not yet qualified, although it also was founded by Hunter and Fordyce. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL.

' ' UNBE JOICING " IN WORDS WORTH (US. i. 109). When in his ' Yew Trees * Words- worth describes

boughs, as if for festal purpose decked With unrejoicing berries,

he states an antithesis between " festal " and " unrejoicing." The boughs have the ornaments suggestive of life and gladness, but there is nothing more than show, for the yew can never be associated with festivity. Thus the berries, unlike those of the holly, cannot possibly grace a joyous occasion or partici- pate in scenes radiant with mirth and good cheer. They are, on the other hand, allied to solemn, and sad, and lonely moods, and they themselves, therefore, are inferentially dull and listless. Wordsworth's epithet recalls that of Thomson's ' Winter,' 1. 895, where the poet thus opens a graphic delinea- tion of Arctic severity :

Throned in his palace of cerulean ice, Here Winter holds his unrejoicing court.

The personification in both cases is simple and just, and it is not necessary with reference to Wordsworth to press his theory as to the quick consciousness of vegetable life. THOMAS BAYNE.

It is, of course, impossible to be certain what Wordsworth was thinking of, but his thought appears to have been that, although berries usually lend themselves to festive decoration, those of the yew do not greatly affect its sombre character. They may be

supposed to be there for some "festal purpose," but it is for a solemn festival that of the "united worship" of the "ghostly shapes " he names. For this anything joyous would be inappropriate ; but the yew berries exactly suit its solemn ritual.

C. C. B.

The scarlet berries of the dismal yew seem to have suggested those of the cheerful holly ; consequently, the reflection on the solemn associations of the yew was momen- tarily diverted by the imagery of the supposition " as if for festal purpose decked," only to remember sadly by such comparison that they were "unrejoicing berries."

Robert Blair well describes the mournful yew in his poem ' The Grave,* 1. 22 : Careless, unsocial plant, that loves to dwell 'Midst skulls and coffins, epitaphs and worms : Where light-heel'd ghosts, and visionary shades, Beneath the wan cold moon (as fame reports) Embodied, thick, perform their mystic rounds. No other merriment, dull tree ! is thine.

It may be observed that the berries do not partake of the poisonous quality of the plant, as the sweet mucilaginous cup which surrounds the nut, as well as the kernel of the latter, may be eaten without danger.

TOM JONES.

"THE HOLY ZIARET " (11 S. i. 105). The word zidrat is used in Urdu and Persian to denote a visit to a shrine or sacred place, or the tombs of saints, &c., i.e., to any place that is muqdddds, or sanctified. The verb is zidrat kdrna in Urdu, and zidrat kdrdan (or nimudan) in Persian = to make such visits. The pilgrimage to Medina is merely ' ziarat-e-Madlna," which is translated into English as " the holy ziaret," though there is no adjective corresponding to ' ' holy." There is a difference between ziarat and zaurat. The latter has the idea of distance or remoteness, and is used of a single visit.

In Turkish ziarat means any ceremonial or devotional visit, and in Pushto it is also applied to the shrine itself. It is note- worthy that in the Urdu spoken in Haidara- bad (Dakkhan) the word ziarat, besides its ordinary meaning as given above, is used of a visit of condolence, in which case the phrase is zidrat ko jdna = to go on such a visit. The correct word is ta'ziyat. Politely, however, the word ziarat is used of a friendly visit, e.g., in Urdu, "main apki ziarat ko aya hun " = I have come to pay my respects to you. V. CHATTOPADHYAYA.

51, Ladbroke Road, W.

[MR, M. L. B. BBESLAR also thanked for reply

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